Steve Reevesis amasculine idealfor many men, especially when talking about his workout routine and diet, which makes him a symbol of physical perfection. When he won the 1950 Mr. Universe against future legend Reg Park, he was only 24 years old, but he already weighed 99.7 kg, measuring 1.85m.kg, diet, workout routine Reeves’

In terms of competition and aesthetics, he was considered a model inbodybuilding.Not to mention that his face was as admired as his physique! In this article, you’ll discoverSteve Reeves’ bodybuilding secretsto inspire you with his success in your workouts!

Why is Steve Reeves’ training a symbol in bodybuilding?

Although Steve Reeves hasgood genetics, genes alone didn’t get him to the top. Reeves was beaten many times in bodybuilding contests and whatever success he achieved, he did so through hispersistenceandhard work.

In fact, hard work is synonymous with Steve Reeves: whether it was in his professional life, for his film career, his personal life, or in bodybuilding, he was always completely committed to giving100% of his energyto what he undertook. It was said by many who knew and worked with Steve Reeves that he coulddramatically change his physique in just a few weeks.

Most attribute this to the fact that Steve was totally invested in every workout he did. His sessions lasted between 2 and 4 hours, and he rested very little during his sessions.

The 9 rules Steve Reeves never broke

Breathe at the right time on the exercises

As forbreathing, Steve Reeves would inhale just before the thrust, hold his breath until halfway through and then exhale during the downstroke.

Using the example of thedumbbell military press, inhale while the barbell is at chest level. Hold your breath until the bar reaches head level, then begin to exhale pressing the bar down to the lock position.

Continue to exhale as you lower the bar to the starting position. You will see that it will be easier for you tokeep up the paceandperform well!

Set a goal for each workout to focus and motivate yourself

In addition to long-term goals such aslifting a set weight on an exercise, you should set a goal for each workout. Having a goal for training will keepyou focusedand motivated. You should never practice and then figure out what you’re going to do!

You need to know exactly what you are doing and what you want to accomplish before you even start.Steve Reevesused his goals toincrease his focus and determination.

For him, the gym was not a place to relax or socialize; he was there to work seriously, and nothing could bring him out of his bubble of concentration. All of yourmental and physical energywas applied to training.

Save the leg exercises for the end of the workout

Try doing a few sets of barbellsquats, then doing a few sets of standingmilitary presses.You will realize too clearly the role that the legs play in the second exercise.

Doing all theupper body workfirst will warm you up for themore intenseleg exercises, whichSteve Reeveswas saving for the end of his workout. Forfull-body sessions, here’s what he recommends (with 45-second breaks between each series of exercises and 2 minutes between each muscle group):

• The deltoids
  
• Chest;
  
• the backbones;
  
• biceps and triceps;
  
• the quadriceps;
  
• the hamstrings;
  
• calves;
  
• lower back;
  
• In the middle section,
  
• the neck to finish.

Work with opposition exercises

Steve Reevesbelieved inpairing opposing muscle groupsto ensurebalanced developmentandbettertraining efficiency.

In other words, instead of doing 3 sets ofbench pressesand then moving to a bent-over row, do the exercises back to back: you do one set of bench presses, pause for a minute, and then do a series of bent-over rows.

Wait another minute and return to the bench press. Continue in this way until all sets are complete.

Determine sets, repetitions and breaks according to your objectives

If your main goal isstrength, do low repetitions (2 or 3) for sets of 5 to 6. Take breaks of up to 5 minutes between each set. If you want more muscle mass and more strength, do sets of 5-6, also with rest periods of 2-3 minutes.

Formaximum bulk, use the maximum weight you can do for 8–12 reps with 45-second breaks between each set. The only muscle groups thatSteve Reevestrained differently were the calves and the abs; he was then doing 20 to 25 reps per set.

Practice deep breathing

Steve Reevesbelieved thatdeep breathingbrings more oxygen to the blood and increases the amount of thehormone epinephrine. Epinephrine is anatural stimulant, which makes you feel better and more energetic.

Steve didn’t just believe in exercise forbig muscles and strength, he trained to improve his overall health and was definitely not amuscular bodybuilderwho hyperventilates just by climbing stairs! In our super hectic world, many of us live our lives inchronic tension. When you’re tense, you tend to breathe shallowly.

When you don’t breathe deeply, you fail to get themaximum amount of oxygenin your blood. It’s no wonder so many people suffer fromlow energyanddepression.

Don’t do too many stretches

Steve Reevessaid that whileincreased flexibilitycan reduce the risk of injury, too much flexibility can also makejoints unstable and vulnerableto injury. Yes, flexibility training, like any form of training, can have limits!

In addition, he does not advise stretching “cold,” that is, before a workout. Instead, stretch after a workout when you’renaturally more flexibleand less likely to injure yourself.

Incorporate brisk walking for aerobic and mental health

For hisheart healthandmental well-being, Steve Reeves was a huge proponent ofbrisk walking. Although walking is not a strenuous form of exercise, brisk walking is not that easy! One form of brisk walking involves taking long strides and moving as fast as possible.

Start by walking 800 meters in 8 minutes. Once this goal is achieved, the next goal is togradually increase speeduntil you can walk 1.5 miles in 14 minutes. The key to brisk walking is to keep increasing the intensity.

Climbing hills, wearing aweighted vest, or holdinglight dumbbellsare all effective examples of increasing intensity. As for frequency, Steve Reeves recommends brisk walking four times a week for 30 minutes.

Follow a diet with 60% carbohydrates, 20% protein, and 20% fat.

Steve didn’t follow any complicateddiets.Itscarbohydrate intakewould be frowned upon in today’s low-carb society. However, you can hardly argue with the muscle results of Steve Reeves!

In addition, hisprotein intakewas far from the 1.6 grams per kg of body weight recommended today. Steve generally ate three meals a day, with whole foods. He avoided white sugar and white flour. For apre-workout energy boost, Steve would drink a glass of water with lemons and honey.

Finally, he recommends an interesting trick to increase energy during a training session: many athletes focus on what they eat on the day of training, but Steve discovered that what you ate the day before also had a great effect on the next day’s session!

In a nutshell: Steve Reeves’ workout

Therefore, Steve Reeves is asymbol of success in bodybuilding, and he will probably remain so for a long time! With his career in bodybuilding, but also in the cinema, he marked the spirits with histenacityand hissporting investment.

Because you will have understood through the 9 secrets provided in this article, he was a hard worker, he took bodybuilding very seriously and he never gave up. If you also wantto train like Steve Reevesto getresults in just a few weeks, now you know how to do it!